A Family Affair
by killslay
Summary: A ruined dinner party leads to more than the Fullmetal Alchemist bargained for as he makes an unexpected discovery about his family.
1. The Ball

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist nor any characters/ideas related to it. I am making no money by writing this fanfic. Thank you and have a nice day.

A Family Affair

Chapter 1: The Ball

Ed was curled up peacefully in his bed, sapping every last minute of sleep that he could before his brother would come to wake him. The room was filled with a pale, predawn light and birdsong that was even now preventing him from sinking back into a deep sleep. He sleepily pulled the sheets over his head and buried his face into the pillow. Why was sleep such a bother at night and then such a luxury in the morning?

"Brother," Al's voice floated in from their kitchen, "C'mon you gotta get up!"

"Meh." Ed muttered, trying to ignore his brother's voice. He'd been up till 2 A.M. last night and - unlike his brother - needed sleep!

"Ed! You're gonna be late!" Now Al was starting to sound like their mother!

"Brother, you have to go to work." A cold steel hand gently tugged away the blanket and began shaking him insistently. Ed blinked up sleepily at his brother's helmet and then pushed himself out of bed.

Al had made toast and brewed some coffee for breakfast. He'd also put the newspaper (which Ed would never read, except maybe to skim the comics) and the mail on the table. Ed felt the tiniest bit of guilt at the thoughtful gesture. At least he _could_ sleep: Al hadn't slept in over four years.

Ed took a sip of the coffee and grimaced; Al never sweetened it enough for his taste. He briefly glanced at the letter pile and did a double take. On top of the pile was a cream envelope embossed in red and gold. The Fuhrer's seal was on top.

"Al!"

"I know, I thought you might want to open it yourself, Brother."

Ed gingerly slid his knife under the seal and opened the envelope. In it, there was a thick card which read:

_**Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric**_

_**is hereby commanded to attend his Majesty, the Fuhrer King Bradley the First's Silver Jubilee Gala.**_

"Silver what?" Ed asked in disbelief.

----

"…Jubilee Gala, celebrating the 25 wonderful years that our beloved Fuhrer has run this country." Colonel Roy Mustang drawled, scribbling over another official form.

"It's something of a ball." Riza Hawkeye explained as she checked over the papers in Mustang's Out box. He was notorious for attempting to skiv off of paperwork by moving unfinished papers into the Out box, but had never managed to get them past Hawkeye's sharp eyes…yet.

"So like a party." Ed said, flopped on Mustang's couch.

"It's a little more than a party," Havoc interjected, "It's going to be one of the biggest events of the year, of the decade! Everyone who's anyone is going to be there!"

"Which is why you're not going to be there." teased Mustang. He sighed loudly and leaned back into his chair.

"Such a shame, I'll have to woo the society girls all by myself!" Mustang grinned as Havoc stormed out of his office. Hawkeye just glared at him and thwapped him soundly on the head with a folder.

"Wait," protested Ed, "If it's going to be that kind of party, why do I have to go?"

Hawkeye and Mustang exchanged glances. It was one thing that Ed had no manners: it was part of him along with the exaggerated attitude he had about his height. It was quite another that he didn't understand what his position was in society. The poor kid was going to be thrown to the sharks at the gala!

"Ed, you're a certified state alchemist." Hawkeye said, "You're only several levels under the Fuhrer himself!"

"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration!" protested Mustang, "After all he's my…"

"Yes?" Hawkeye asked sweetly.

"Never mind." Mustang growled, suddenly aware of the hole he'd nearly blundered into.

"Feh," Ed muttered mutinously while studying the invitation he'd hurriedly tucked in his coat pocket, "Even if I am a State Alchemist, do I have to go?"

"It would be a personal insult to the Fuhrer himself if you don't attend," Mustang replied dryly, examining another report, "Unless you want to be held accountable for that…"

"I'll go, I'll go!" Ed peeked back at the fancy invitation, "What do they mean by 'dress uniform required?'"

"Oh boy…"

----

Edward Elric was not happy. Admittedly, there weren't any flesh-eating chimaeras or insane homunculi after his blood or hours of paperwork ahead of him. But still, this wasn't exactly a walk in the park for him. For one thing, his dress uniform, which didn't fit him despite its X-Small label, itched terribly and didn't fit in the right places. His pants were too loose and his jacket a shade too tight. He'd been scrubbed raw and then stuffed into this…monstrosity and to cap it all off, Al hadn't been on the guest list and was therefore not allowed to attend. Suffering through this might have been easier if he'd had his younger brother by his side. If nothing else, he was great conversation-starter and was somehow more at ease around people than Ed was, despite his odd appearance.

Ed sighed and stared down at the packed hallway in resigned boredom. Barely five minutes in and he was already wishing this was all over.

"There you are!"

Ed turned to face the beaming Colonel Mustang who looked, as usual, perfectly dashing in his dress uniform. Ed grimaced when he saw Mustang had a pretty young girl draped on his arm. Really, did that bastard ever stop womanizing?

"Miss Edmonte, this is the dashing young fellow I was talking about." Mustang sent a ten-watt grin the girl who fairly swooned in response.

_Oh great, another round of kick the small, insignificant Puppy of the Military in his balls?_ Ed thought sourly.

"Oh, Mr. Elric – it is Elric isn't it? Somehow all these military names sound the same, isn't that droll? – it is such an honor to meet you!" Miss. Edmonte simpered while leaning closer to the Colonel

"Um…" Was it even grammatically possible to fit all that in one sentence?

"Fullmetal, you are this young lady's escort for this evening." Mustang managed to flash out between grins, "Please take good care of her!"

"Oh, but…" Miss. Edmonte was barely able to protest before the Colonel skillfully untucked her arm and placed it in Edward's automail arm before vanishing into the crowd.

Miss Edmonte was over a head taller than him, so it really wasn't much that she was looking down at him but did she have to look like she'd just gotten a piece of toilet paper stuck to her high heels?

"Um, shall we go then?" he asked nervously.

"Suppose so," she replied stiffly, keeping her body flush away from his.

They made it to the Grand Staircase, which was yes large and fancy enough to deserve the capitalized title, where titles and their accompanying names were being called out. A uniformed valet who camouflaged perfectly into the opulent background smiled politely at Miss Edmonte and almost overlooked Ed.

"Ah, Miss Edmonte!" he trilled, "What an honor to see you again this season!"

"Oh Alfred, I wouldn't miss an occasion like this for the world!" she giggled back, not even bother to introduce Ed.

"And who is this?" the valet asked, beaming down at Edward, "Your little brother, I assume!"

It took every scrap of self-control Ed had not to sock that over-perfumed jerk right then and there!

"Oh no, this is the Fullmetal Alchemist, my escort for the evening." She replied dismissingly.

"Oh, but…"

Thankfully their names were called and they both had to descend the Grand Staircase. To Ed's shame, everyone in the room turned to stare at them and several people began to whisper to one another. He hunched his shoulders and tried not to trip over his feet. He really wasn't that important to deserve this kind of humiliation!

Mercifully soon, they made it to the ground floor and escaped the limelight, only to be mobbed by other fancily-dressed people who all smiled big fake grins as they held out hands to be shaken or kissed depending on their gender. To Ed's shame, he nearly kissed the glove of an impeccably-dressed fop who was wearing lipstick!

Miss Edmonte, on the other hand, was in her element and seemed to enjoy every second of the air-kissing and hand-shaking. She smiled as brightly at everyone surrounding them and immediately drew those around her into conversation, half of which Ed could barely understand! He felt smothered by the crowd and overpowering perfumes that barely let him breathe.

"Uh, can I get you a drink?" He muttered.

"Of course, darling." Miss Edmonte answered absently, probably not even registering the question, but it was enough of an excuse for Ed to get out of the crowd and make a break for the refreshments table.

Once at the white linen covered table, he leaned down and tried to catch his breath. Ridiculous! He was Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He could transmute anything, he was the youngest State Alchemist ever, he could solve complicated equations in the blink of an eye, and he couldn't even deal with a stupid party?

"What've you got?" he muttered at the barman gloomily.

"Nothing for children." Was the stern reply.

"Look, I'm a freaking State Alchemist, just get me something cold!" he snarled, showing the incredulous barman his official pocket watch.

"S-so sorry, sir!" The barman quavered, intimidated either by Ed's show of temper or the symbol of authority. Within seconds, Ed got a flute of ice water and some champagne for Miss Edmonte. He wasn't going to risk getting drunk: there was no telling what he'd do under influence and anyways his sensei had beaten into him (literally) a respect for rules that involved drinking and minors.

Miss Edmonte didn't even acknowledge him as he returned with her drink and took it offhandedly as though he were an invisible servant. He would have left then and there, manners be damned, but a tall, well-endowed blonde girl blocked his path with a shy curtsey.

"N-nice to meet you. My name is Katherine Armstrong."

Armstrong? Wait a minute…

"You wouldn't happen to be a relative of Major Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist, would you?" Ed asked faintly.

"Oh yes, he's my big brother." She replied happily, growing a bit bolder, "He's told me a lot about you, Mr. Elric."

"Yeah, uh, I didn't know he had a sister." Ed replied awkwardly, but thankful for a distraction.

"He has two! I'm the youngest though."

Ed always had the impression that Colonel Armstrong had sprung out of a mountain or something equally manly and never for a moment had thought that he might actually have family. Katherine, however, looked quite normal. Maybe he was just the weird one of the family.

"So, what do you like to do?" Ed asked casually as he took another sip of the icy water.

"I like to do the piano a bit."

"Hmm? You any good at it?"

"Not as good as my brother."

"What? He plays the piano?" Would wonders never cease?

"No, we lift pianos. I can only lift one or two pianos at a time, but my brother's been able to lift ten!"

Ed gagged on his drink. The entire family was completely crazy! On the other hand, compared to this organized chaos of butt-kissing and false laughter, a weird family that lifted pianos as a hobby was almost a breath of fresh air.

"Um, do you want to dance?" he asked, looking for something that would get away from this cloying crowd.

Before Katherine could answer, a meaty hand was placed on his shoulder, and Ed found himself whirled around to face a large, muscular chest.

"Edward Elric, how wonderful to see you on this fine evening!" Colonel Armstrong boomed as he crushed Ed into a tight embrace.

"I see you met my cute little sister!" Armstrong continued as he released the gasping Fullmetal Alchemist, only to give him a thunderous clap on the shoulders that nearly sent him sprawling, "It is good to see that you have drawn her out of her shy shell! She normally stays back and is so quiet, I am glad that your manly advances have put confidence into her feminine soul!"

"Oh, it's nothing like that, big brother!" Katherine protested shyly, "Mr. Elric was just being polite to the little sister of his colleague."

"Nonsense!" Armstrong said benignly as he beamed down at his little sister, sparkles practically hovering around them angelically, "No man in his right mind would dismiss such a young bloomin flower of female beauty!"

Ed felt a bit ill as he watched the two together. It takes all kinds to keep this world going, Pinanko had often said philosophically. Watching these two odd siblings, Ed couldn't agree more.

"Fullmetal! There you are!" a shrill voice broke in as Ed found his arm in a delicately-manicured grip of steel and was tugged back into the well-dressed, suppressive crowd. Miss Edmonte didn't even spare him a glance as she pulled him along like a well-trained show dog.

"Mr. Goethe, _this_ is the Fullmetal Alchemist." She presented him proudly to a thin, pale blond man who was dressed in a dark suit that was impeccably tailored with a silver trim.

"Oh yes," he replied insipidly, "The one we were just discussing. The youngest State Alchemist. Twelve, is he?"

"I'm fifteen!" growled Ed as he shook off Miss Edmonte's hands.

Mr. Goethe just raised his eyebrows in disbelief as the fat girl in pale pink standing next to him tittered loudly. More people were drawing in and Ed felt more and more like an animal on display.

"Bit small for his age, isn't he? Do you think it's the alchemy?" Another tailored and perfumed gentleman asked sardonically.

Ed felt his hands curl up into fists. He was damned if he was going to have to go through this all night! He was about launch a sharp retort at the man before Goethe said,

"My dear fellow, it's plain to see that the military is letting in all kinds these days. I suppose it's part of the Fuhrer's plan to expand the military. Taking in younger, more diverse recruits allows for a stronger base. As I was saying…"

"How can that be?" Ed interrupted sharply, "The entire military knows that I'm a rare exception. If anything, the military's letting in _less_ people with harsher requirements for the few recruits that they let in. For a stronger base, you have quality over quantity, especially for a field like alchemy!"

Now everyone really was staring at him and not through him, like he was a museum display. A bright flush was now spreading across Goethe's cheekbones as he stiffened before the short boy who'd completely destroyed his brilliant analysis of the military for the evening.

"Well," he said stiffly, "it's plain to see that Miss Edmonte has a keen eye for intelligence in her escorts. Perhaps that's why she has received so few _quality_ proposals since her coming out. Good evening, Miss Edmonte, Mr. Fullmetal!"

With a dramatic gesture, Goethe strode off, taking quite a few of the group with him. Ed felt a little confused as he turned to Miss Edmonte who'd turned a brilliant shade of red. Her fan shook, though her face was calm and composed. Ed felt a little sorry for her; after all, it wasn't her fault Goethe and his posse had put him down.

"Can I get you another drink?" he muttered quietly, hoping she wouldn't cry in front of him.

Evidently, that was the wrong thing to say. Miss Edmonte whirled to face him, hands clenched into fists and her brows drawn together stormily.

"Drink? Oh, I'd be happy for one! Just to forget what a disgusting little wretch I have for an escort! Oh, you…! You've ruined everything, you little brat! I have to have everyone stare at me for having a freakish runt like you for an escort! You have no manners, no class, and no real intelligence for anything beyond alchemy! **To think that I've been stuck with a CRIPPLED FREAK for the entire evening!**"

With that she stormed away, fan clenched like a dagger in one of her balled-up hands. The crowd parted for her easily as she strode quickly out of the room. Ed felt as though the whole congregation was staring at him and laughing to themselves. He felt his face burn with shame and ducked his head as he also began to make his way out of the room, desperate to get away from these shallow, selfish people.

He finally made it to a quiet hallway where only a few valets were present.

"Is there a toilet near here?" he asked one of the red-suited men desperately. Damnit, he needed to be alone!

"Take the first set of stairs to your right and it's down the hall, third door to your left." The valet replied listlessly.

Ed sprinted for the tiled privacy and shut the door behind him with a sigh of relief. In all honesty, Miss Edmonte's insults really weren't what drove him out of there. The whole oppressive crowd with their shallow opinions and false compliments really drove him over the edge. How could people like Mustang actually enjoy these kinds of events?

He heard footsteps coming and quickly ducked into a stall and locked it behind him. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, especially after the whole Miss Edmonte fiasco!

"Fullmetal?" Damnit! Of all the people to come in, did it have to be Mustang?

Ed kept silent and hoped that he would go away. He really wasn't looking forward to having Mustang bawl him out for insulting his escort, or worse, find a way to work in yet another taunt about his height!

"Fullmetal. Edward, I know you're in there. We need to talk about Miss Edmonte…"

That did it! Ed had gone through enough for the evening and was not about to be made a sport of by that bastard colonel!

"What?" Ed snapped, feeling like a dam was let loose inside of him, "Didn't I act appropriate enough for a miniscule shrimp of a loser! You've have your laughs tonight and I'm sure Miss Edmonte beat you to the punch! So sorry if I'm not going to take your shit anymore, you bastard of a colonel, but I've been kicked enough in the balls tonight, thank you very much! Now, could you just leave the Fullmetal Midget alone to stew and go back to wooing your girls or whatever you do at these parties? I've had enough!"

He heaved a deep breath and felt sobs begin to well up. He closed his eyes in shame as tears squeezed out and leaned against the door in defeat.

"Please Colonel," he whispered, now much calmer but no less unhappy, "Just leave me alone. You've had your fun."

"I'm sorry."

Ed's eyes snapped open in shock as he turned to listen to the colonel, despite barely believing what he just heard.

"What did you say?" Ed said in shock.

"I'm sorry for what happened." Colonel Mustang's voice sounded anything but mocking or satisfied. If anything, he sounded a bit…regretful? "I never meant for this to happen. I didn't know that Miss Edmonte would be this…disrespectful. To be honest, I wanted you to have a good time. I thought you'd want to spend some time with someone close to your age since you're constantly surrounded by adults. I hoped you'd have a good time tonight, get a chance to act like a normal kid, for once."

Ed was still silent with shock. This couldn't be right! The bastard colonel was apologizing to him? The colonel wanted him to have a good time at this party and wasn't taking a dig at his temper or size?

He heard Mustang sigh for a moment and then,

"If you want to leave now, I'll understand. I'll excuse you from the rest of the gala and make my apology to the Fuhrer for your absence. I'll go call a car…"

Suddenly, the stall door was flung open and Ed faced his superior with his trademark stubborn glare.

"Look, this really isn't my kind of crowd, but…if I can stay with you, I don't think it'll be so bad. And I kind of wanted a chance to dance with Armstrong's sister, she seemed kind of nice."

At Mustang's incredulous glance, Ed cracked a cocky grin and said,

"Hey, I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist. If I can't get through this, what'll happen to my rep as 'Hero of the People'?"

At this, Mustang had to smile in response and ran a hand through his glossy black hair.

"I swear, you never stop surprising me, Fullmetal."

Ed was about to retort to this when the lights abruptly went out.

------

_**Uh…coughs nervously hi. This is my first Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic to date and…I'll do my best! Thanks for reading and please review to let me know how I'm doing! Thank you!**_


	2. The Attack

Chapter 2: The Attack

Ed blinked in the sudden darkness. What exactly was going on?

"Colonel?" he called.

"Here," Was the distracted reply, "Hold on."

Ed then heard the muffled snap of Mustang's fingers, but there was no responding flame. Again, Mustang snapped his fingers, but to no avail. Ed heard the colonel growl softly and asked,

"You sure you've got your alchemy gloves on, Colonel?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Mustang replied impatiently, "I don't understand, neither of them work! Those gloves are new, it's impossible that the transmutation circles have worn out already!"

"Wait." A suspicion was worming its way into Ed's gut, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions without more proof. He clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the floor. There was no response.

"Colonel? I think something's blocking our alchemy!" he called, now very alarmed.

"Damnit!" Mustang snapped in response, "Just wait a moment, Fullmetal."

There was a soft rustle then a snap, this time of wood against sandpaper, and the sharp scent of sulfur filled the air. A tiny circle of light appeared and faintly illuminated the Colonel's pale face.

"Are you alright, Fullmetal?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I am!" snapped Edward, though he was feeling a little sick and uneasy at the thought of not having alchemy at his disposal. Without it, he really didn't have much beyond his automail limbs and his knowledge of hand-to-hand combat.

"Let's go then," Mustang ordered, as he led the way to the bathroom door, "I don't think that the power failure was an accident."

"You mean," Ed asked as he followed his superior out of the bathroom, "this is an attack?"

"What a better time?" Mustang asked ironically as they walked down the dark and silent hall, "You have all the nobility and high-ranking officials in one room with no one even suspecting that someone would be foolish enough to attack when there are military officers including State Alchemists around. You disable the alchemists by somehow blocking alchemy from the building and you have a veritable goldmine of hostages."

Ed shivered despite himself. Now that the Colonel pointed it out, this was a pretty good set-up for terrorists or anyone who wanted to take a lot of important hostages all at once. Best of all, this place was pretty impenetrable and was almost the perfect place for a siege!

"Ouch!" The match suddenly went out and they were plunged into darkness once again. Mustang quickly lit another and went over to the wall to examine the light fixtures.

"Of course they'd all be electric!" he muttered sardonically, "And just when we can't use alchemy!"

"Since when do you carry around matches anyways?" Ed asked curiously.

Mustang shot him a dark look and said,

"Every intelligent alchemist knows that backup plans and materials are always needed, especially for those unable to perform alchemy without transmutation circles!"

Ed glared but couldn't argue with Mustang's point. They continued on down the silent hall. Ed couldn't help but think that if this was an attack, there ought to be at least some screams or gunshots. Instead, there was nothing but this oppressive silence and the fear of what might await them ahead.

All at once, the lights came back on as suddenly as when they'd turned off. Ed and Mustang both blinked in the sudden brightness. Mustang blew out his match and glared down the hall. The valets that had lined the walls were gone and nothing was left but the ornate lights affixed on the elegant walls and the lavish carpeting.

"I guess we can assume that the attack was carried out successfully." Mustang muttered, "This is not good."

"Freeze!"

Ed and Mustang both tensed and turned slowly to face the armed man who was pointing a makeshift rifle straight at them.

"Don't move!" their attacker shouted, "Now raise your hands, slowly."

Ed glanced at Mustang who nodded and slowly lifted his arms. Ed followed his example, inwardly seething. If he'd had his alchemy, this guy would've been down flat in seconds!

"Both of you, turn to the wall and put your hands there!"

Suddenly Roy made as if to leap at the terrorist and quickly ducked. The gunshot went wild and Ed saw his chance and sprinted at the guy and drove his automail elbow into his gut. The man let out a pained gasp as the gun fell from his limp hands. Ed reached for the gun only to have a blow land on his right cheek. He rolled his head with the punch and lashed a foot out to trip the guy. At the same time, he heard boom of a gun, and saw without comprehending as the terrorist fell limply with blood pouring from his chest.

He twisted around to see Roy calmly level a small handgun at the limp figure on the floor before walking to them. He emptied another shot into the already limp figure's head before turning to Ed.

"Are you alright?" Roy asked calmly as he pocketed the handgun.

"Y-you shot him." Ed said in disbelief.

"He was ready and willing to shoot us, Fullmetal. Now get a grip. We have a crisis on our hands and we don't have time for hysterics."

Ed nodded numbly. Yes, he'd seen people die before. He'd even killed before, but it had never been anything like this. Thus far, he'd never killed a human and even now, he wasn't sure he was ready to.

"You carry a gun too, huh?" Ed asked, a pale grin crossing his face, "And you say I'm full of surprises!"

Roy just looked faintly exasperated and Ed reminded himself that the Colonel wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Ed picked up the long gun that the dead man had been using. It was fairly inconspicuous, though not standard military issue. Whoever was behind this attack, it definitely wasn't part of the military.

"Can you use that?" asked the Colonel sternly.

"Sure," Ed replied nonchalantly, "Press the trigger and it goes boom!"

Mustang looked at him incredulously then held his hand out.

"Give that to me, Fullmetal. It's plain you can't use it!"

* * *

Several hallways later, they still hadn't found anyone. There'd been nowhere to hide the body, and without their alchemy they couldn't really get rid of it, so there'd been nothing to do but leave it in plain sight and hope that the other terrorists wouldn't come upon it for a while.

Roy stiffened as he heard footsteps behind them. He raised the long gun and then decided against it. Their best bet was to try and avoid detection as long as possible until they had more information about their attackers.

"C'mon Fullmetal," he muttered, "Let's hope they haven't found the body yet."

They began to run, and then it became apparent that they were being pursued and Roy stopped short.

"Here!" he called to Ed as he crouched in front of an air vent. He struck it with the butte of the long gun and managed to pry off the lid.

"Climb in."

"What?" Ed replied in disbelief, "There's no way you'll fit in there.

"I know." Roy replied calmly, "But you can."

Ed glared at his superior.

"There's no way I'm leaving you behind, Colonel!" he snapped stubbornly.

"Fullmetal, I order you in there!" Roy roared in frustration.

"No, sir. I refuse to leave you!"

"Oh really." Roy drawled, "Only a short, insignificant person would be petty enough to have two comrades captured instead of one!"

"What did you call me?" Ed snarled, hands clenched.

"You heard me!" Roy replied, "If you're stupid enough to get us both captured, maybe you don't deserve that impressive title of 'Hero of the People'!"

Ed glared helplessly at his Colonel and finally ducked his head and crawled into the small opening.

"Wait." Roy pulled out his handgun and quietly handed it to Ed. Ed awkwardly took it and tucked it in his jacket, looking much more like a scared and confused fifteen-year-old than the Hero of the People. Roy avoided the instinct to smile reassuringly at him. Right now, he needed the soldier Fullmetal Alchemist, not the boy Edward Elric.

Roy worked quickly and managed to wedge the lid back on. He'd barely picked up in long gun and stood up before their pursuers entered the hallway, guns drawn and ready.

"Drop your weapon!" A tall scarred man shouted, evidently the leader, "Now!"

Roy quickly threw the gun on the ground in front of him and raised his arms in defeat. He contented himself with the knowledge at least Ed was safe, for now.

He was almost immediately surrounded by the patrol. His arms were caught by two members as another searched him. His stash of matches was almost immediately discovered and taken, as was his official pocket watch.

"A State Alchemist!" One of the terrorists snarled as the watch was held up to the leader.

"A lot of good your alchemy will do you now." Sneered another.

Roy stayed quiet and still. His only hope for staying alive right now was to play the appeasing hostage. Hopefully Ed would be smart enough to avoid anymore patrols and would be able to escape and make it to military headquarters to sound the alarm.

"Wait a minute," the leader growled, examining the long gun, "Where's the other gun?"

Roy felt his chest clench. Damnit, of all times to have an observant terrorist!

"What are you talking about?" the terrorist holding Roy's left arm asked confused.

"Grenn was killed by a military-issue gun, not his own. This is his gun. Where's the gun that shot him?" The leader asked Roy sharply, putting the barrel of his pistol against Roy's left cheek.

Roy shrugged but remained silent. He glared defiantly at the leader even as his heart sank as comprehension spread over the faces of the terrorists.

"Where's your companion?" the leader snapped, clipping Roy sharply across the face with the pistol. Roy just glared and remained silent.

At a signal from their leader, one of his captors punched him sharply in the gut. Roy gasped with pain as he was driven to his knees by the blow. His hair was grasped in an iron grip as the cold metal barrel of the pistol was held to his temple.

"Whoever's out there, hear this! If you do not reveal yourself and surrender by the count of ten, we will shoot your companion!" The leader called down the corridor.

"Don't you dare!" Roy managed to gasp out, "Just get out of here! That's an or-" He was silenced abruptly by sharp kick to his side which once again knocked the wind out of him.

"Listen to this show of loyalty for a companion! Will you allow this person to die by your cowardice?" The leader shouted.

"One! Two! …"

As the numbers rang out, Roy could only concentrate on catching his breath and prayed that Fullmetal was out of earshot.

* * *

Ed dug his hands into the cold dirty metal floor of the vent and gritted his teeth in frustration. Damnit! Every number he heard led closer to Mustang's death.

"Four! Five!" The words were amplified in the metallic corridor and echoed back to him like a death knoll.

"Si-!"

"Alright!" called Ed, shoving the vent's lid out and squeezing out of the narrow space, "I'm here! Don't hurt him!"

Several hard hands grabbed him roughly and pulled him to his feet. Hands ran up and down his coat and pants, the handgun was quickly found and taken, and Ed grimaced as his pocket watch was removed as well.

"Another State Alchemist?" One terrorist asked in disbelief.

"He's only a kid." He heard another mutter by him, "Hell, my kids are probably older than him!"

"He's got automail: an arm and a leg!"

"Damn, what kind of alchemist is this?"

Ed risked a glance at Mustang and saw to his relief that his commanding officer was reasonably unhurt save for a livid bruise rising across his jaw. Mustang, however, glared balefully at him from his restrained position on the floor. Ed resisted the urge to glare back and instead squared his shoulders to face the apparent leader of the patrol.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, I suppose?" The tall, scarred one surmised, grabbing his chin in a sharp grip and examining his face impersonally, "Edward Elric."

"You're kidding me? This shrimp is the youngest State Alchemist?" one of the terrorists asked in disbelief.

"**Who are you calling an insig**-"

Ed was cut off by a sharp blow to the head. Bright lights flashed in front of his eyes as darkness began to spread across his vision and he blacked out.


	3. Envy Appears

Chapter 3: Envy Appears

Ed felt blackness recede from his vision as he swam back into consciousness. A huge headache pounded at his temples and he tried to massage it away…only to realize that he couldn't move his arms. Adrenaline pounded through his system and washed away the fuzziness from his unconsciousness. He was lying on his side, hands tied behind his back with wire that cut into his flesh arm. He tried his legs and grimaced as they buzzed, starved for blood after having been asleep. His ankles were tied as well with the same material, which explained why his flesh foot was asleep as well.

He opened his eyes slowly and winced as the light hit the back of his eyes and caused his headache to rise with vengeance. He was in a brightly-lit room and as his eyes focused, he realized it was filled with other tied up military officials, all lying or sitting on the floor. The terrorists were all sitting casually on the edges of the room, some were chatting in low voices, others just sat grimly, guns drawn, and watched the hostages closely. Ed blinked to clear his sight and then panic shot through him – Colonel Mustang!

He twisted on the floor and found himself facing a pair of tied hands with familiar transmutation circles on the palms of the gloves.

"Colonel?" he murmured, barely above a whisper.

Mustang twisted slowly to face him. His face was blank, but Ed could tell he was somewhat relieved to see that his subordinate was alright.

"Where are we?" Ed asked.

"One of the less-well-known lounges that were used mainly for negotiation between higher ups. Whoever's planned this was very clever and did his research."

The long end of a gun suddenly crashed down between them. A dark man in shades smirked as he viewed them over the barrel of his gun.

"I'd keep quiet if I was you. Our orders were to keep you alive until we hear back from C&C, but that doesn't mean we can't rough you guys up if you annoy us. And believe me-" He slowly removed his tinted glasses to reveal red eyes, "-you don't want to annoy us."

An Ishbalan! Ed glanced over at Mustang and saw a brief haunted look before his customary mask swiftly overtook his features.

"So you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, huh?" The Ishbalan studied him contemptuously, "Bet you've heard this before, but I kind of expected someone a little-"

"Say taller and I'll kick you till you're my size." Ed growled.

"Was going to say older, but that works too." He grinned and tucked his gun over his shoulder.

"What's this?" a rough voice asked sharply, "You know we keep minimum contact with prisoners."

"Sorry, sir." The Ishbalan turned to the tall scarred man from before, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Such a waste." Another broad man with strange bright eyes commented huskily as he bent over the young alchemist, "Look at him: he's almost…pretty."

Ed growled. He was most certainly **not** a petite helpless girl! This only seemed to amuse the perverted freak as he slowly ran his fingers through the smaller figure's long hair, harshly yanking out his hair tie. Ed shuddered under his touch and lashed out, almost biting the freak's hand. The molester only laughed and pulled him up by his hair, making the boy clench his teeth in agony as he glared at the molester's disturbing eyes.

"Just give me a few minutes of 'private time' with this one." The man begged with an oily smirk, "I'll make him scream..."

A sudden blow sent him reeling, releasing Ed to collapse gratefully onto the carpeted floor. A tall grim soldier stood above the groaning figure who ruefully rubbed his bloody forehead. For a moment, Ed was vaguely reminded of Mr. Curtis, the butcher. This man, however, was clearly Ishbalan and wore his ripped traditional garb proudly as he glared down at the injured perverted terrorist, long gun held like a staff in his huge hands.

"We keep away from the prisoners." The scarred man repeated coldly, ignoring the silent Ishbalan's actions, "Is that clear?"

"Yes, _sir_." The molester spat as he struggled to his feet and slunk away.

The silent Ishbalan lowered his weapon and turned to Ed, his dark red eyes softening ever so slightly. Ed nodded, confused but grateful. The Ishbalan, satisfied, quietly walked to his former post, passing the younger Ishbalan who'd threatened them and was now staring at the taller man in disbelief.

"Are you alright?" Colonel Mustang muttered under his breath.

"Yeah." Ed whispered back, "Just perfect."

He never should have come to this stupid party. Hell, he never should have gotten up that morning!

_This is just one of those days_, he sighed mentally.

* * *

Hours went by, each minute slower than the last. After a while, the initial fear and shock wore off and boredom set in. No one dared speak: anyone who tried was brutally beaten by the guards. So Roy was left to stew in his own thoughts. This attack should have been no surprise. So why was it carried out so quickly and why had the staff been so unprepared? Had this been an inside job? If so, how were the Ishbalans involved? Was this part of a larger conspiracy? His musings were interrupted when the sentry from the outside opened the door. Almost immediately, the room came to life as the guards leapt to 

their feet and readied their weapons. The sentry let in a small dark man in one of the doormen's uniforms, but who carried one of the motley weapons carried by the terrorists.

"Passphrase?" The guard glared at the disguised soldier who replied calmly,

"Never forget, never forgive. The past was theirs, the future is ours."

"Enter."

The soldier slowly walked in, his head low and his entire posture one of regret and disappointment. The various guards straightened at his presence.

"Well?" One finally asked, "What's the news?"

The soldier lowered his head and muttered quietly,

"We just heard back from the Fuhrer. He's refused all of our demands."

A low murmur ran through the room. Roy smiled grimly. The news certainly didn't come as a surprise from most of the hostages. The Fuhrer hadn't come into power by appeasing his enemies!

"In light of this, our leaders have decided that we should make a demonstration of our dedication and show him our commitment. We are to kill one of the hostages publically, and continue on until he gives in."

_Go ahead_, Roy urged them on savagely, _show the world what you really are: a bunch of thugs masquerading as freedom fighters!_

"Who will be the first to die?" The leader asked coldly.

The messenger looked down and quietly said,

"One of the Alchemists. Our leaders wanted someone the whole country would recognize, so it's…the Fullmetal Alchemist."

No! Roy risked a glance at Fullmetal. The boy was pale but grim and his hands were curled into fists behind him. Roy was no stranger to losing comrades to war, but he'd be damned before he let another comrade die in front of him without a fight.

Before he could make a move, there were a series of outraged gaps.

The quiet Ishbalan who'd protected Fullmetal stood in front of the newcomer. The messenger blinked and barked,

"What is the meaning of this?"

"It makes no sense, killing young ones first. Kill one of those who were involved in the genocide, yes. But murdering children?" He spoke with a thick Ishbalan accent, but he was clear and unhesitant.

"It's not your place to question our superiors." The leader stated from the corner.

The messenger raised his hand quietly: he felt confident enough to deal with this. Roy clenched his hands. He needed to get Edward out of here!

"Your name is Tarin, isn't it?" the man asked quietly, "Your son…he would've been the Fullmetal's age, if he'd survived. I understand: it's hard to shake the feeling of vengeance for your people, it's harder to forget who you left behind when you survived. My brother, this boy…he had nothing to do with the murder of your people, but he is still a part of the military. He is an Alchemist. In a few years, Amestris may go to war again to murder more innocents. Do you think that this boy will not take part in the slaughters to come, if we do not change the leadership of this country? We work for the future, my brother. Sometimes, that means that we have to make sacrifices, even of innocents like this boy, so that more are saved."

The soldier stood still, but then nodded jerkily and let the messenger pass. The messenger smiled sadly and began to walk past. Then he abruptly stopped. There were shouts of anger and confusion as the quiet soldier, Tarin, calmly held his gun to the messenger's back.

"No one could know about my name, nor about my son." Tarin growled, "I am the sole survivor of my village, I gave my name or my past to no one after I left. Who the hell are you?"

To everyone's surprise, the messenger smiled wryly. Then his very shape changed. His body thinned and his hair lengthened and turned to a green-cast black. He wore a short black skirt under a high-riding black tunic that wrapped around his chest. His waist-length, spiky black hair was held back by a strange black headband with a red triangle.

"Envy." Roy heard Ed hiss under his breath. Roy couldn't help staring. This was one of the homunculi that Ed had talked about?

"Jeez, I really can't get anywhere, can I?" Envy was saying with a rather sardonic tone, "Suppose that's what I get for being careless. Now if you'll please hand over Fullmetal, this'll all go quickly."

Tarin just glared at him, and didn't lower his gun. The rest of the patrol gathered around, surrounding the homunculus with a ring of guns pointed straight at him.

"Idiots." Roy heard Ed mutter, "You can't kill them with guns."

Indeed, shots rang out and Envy calmly stood in the face of the bullets. Then, realizing their target wasn't staggering or falling, the terrorists backed away. Envy sighed as bullets began to pop out of his skin and fell in a rain of iron to the floor.

"Let me make this as clear as I can. You cannot kill me. I can't say the same for any of you. Just let me get Fullmetal, and I'll be out of here."

Tarin hadn't moved from his spot, nor had he lowered his gun. He just scowled at Envy's words and moved closer.

"I will not let you touch that boy." He growled fiercely.

Envy's face darkened and he suddenly leapt for the large dark man. Tarin could barely gasp as Envy grasped the sides of his head from behind and pulled him into a crouch.

"You love your goddamned son so much?" snarled Envy, "Why don't you just-" the homunculus twisted the man's head with a sickening crack, "-join him?"

Two terrorists rushed at Envy from opposite ends, their guns cocked and ready. Envy jumped away from Tarin's corpse and, Roy could barely see him move, was suddenly standing between the two men who stopped stiff with fear, their own guns were positioned under their chins by the homunculus who held them in each hand crossed in front of him.

"You guys are really making me cross," the homunculus stated calmly, "If I have to, I'll kill everyone in this room to get Fullmetal. I suggest you guys back off and let me do my job."

Everyone turned to the leader. He stood agape at the homunculus and finally asked,

"Are you working for the Fuhrer?"

"Please," Envy replied scornfully, "Do I look like I'd take orders from the likes of him?"

"Then, take the boy. Just don't interfere with our mission."

Envy smirked and lowered the guns. The two men sighed in relief and quickly slunk away.

"Well then," Envy stared at the cluster of captured military officials, "Where is Fullmetal?"

"He's here!" called a voice next to Roy, "He's here! Don't kill us!"

"Glad _some_ people can be helpful around here." Envy muttered as he stalked towards them.

Roy heard Ed growl as something snapped. Envy was barely able to dodge aside as Ed lunged for him, snapped wires trailing away from his wrists and ankles. How on earth had he…?

Ed aimed a punch at Envy who easily blocked it and caught his automail wrist with ease.

"You just never know when to quit, do you?" Envy said dryly.

Ed just glared at the homunculus and attempted another punch with his flesh arm. Envy released the automail and twisted aside, catching the flesh arm and twisting it painfully. Ed fell to his knees with a grunt of pain. Envy's smile widened as he casually broke Ed's wrist. Ed screamed with agony.

"Give up brat," Envy said unsympathetically, "You know you can't beat me, especially without alchemy."

"Don't…need alchemy…to kick your…ass." Ed lashed out suddenly with his automail leg as he fell to the floor, managing to trip the homunculus in the process. Roy could tell that Ed would pay for his defiance. 

Envy rose with a murderous expression and grabbed Ed by the throat to lift him until they were eye-to-eye. They glared at each other until Envy pulled back his fist and drove it into Ed's stomach.

"You – ungrateful – brat!" Envy snarled, punctuating each word with a punch, "I come all this way to make sure you're alive; hell, I even came here to get you out, and _this_ is how you thank me?"

He pulled his arm back for another blow, but Ed chose that moment to cough up a mouthful of blood. Envy paused, as if remembering he didn't come here to kill the boy, and swung forward. The wall next to Ed's head exploded in a cloud of plaster. A crater that revealed the brick-lining beneath the wall appeared after the dust settled.

"Just be glad I have orders to take you alive." Envy hissed. Ed couldn't answer, he just slumped onto Envy as he lost consciousness. The homunculus caught the alchemist and casually lifted him onto his shoulder as though he weighed nothing. Envy turned and walked to the door as the stunned men around him quickly made a clear path in his way.

"Oh, and don't worry about the kid," Envy called offhandedly behind him as he reached the threshold, "by the time She's through with him, he'll be begging for death."

"And the rest?" the leader replied reservedly.

"Do what you like with them." Envy replied scornfully, "I couldn't care less."

The door shut with a soft click.

* * *

_**Hi everyone, thanks for reviewing. No, this is not Envy/Ed, they just happen to be the main characters. Sorry for taking so long to introduce our favorite gender-confused homunculus, but I needed to introduce the whole situation, so there you go! I'll be leaving on a loooong vacation soon, so it'll be a while before I update. Thank you again to everyone who reviewed!**_


End file.
